[little87]

The other day I was using Grandma's computer and I noticed a clicking sound which I knew was one of the hard drives. In XP 'My Computer', both hard drives were listed. I opened a program which is supposed to tell me the status of the hard drives, but the one hard drive (drive D) wasn't listed. I heard some more clicking and then when I looked back in the XP 'My Computer' folder, the D drive wasn't listed.

Since then, there is still clicking, but that particular hard drive is not showing up. Is that a sign that it's dead and the data is gone? Or is there a possibility that the data is still there, somewhere? Should I disconnect that hard drive in hopes of salvaging data?

For the record, Grandma told me she had been hearing the clicking sound for several weeks prior to all this happening. She didn't know what the sound was and didn't bother to tell anyone.

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It sounds like the disk has serious problems.

The data is most likely on the disk, but it can be expensive to recover it using a data service. Sometimes it is possible to buy an identical disk with the same firmware on the controller board (attached to the disk) and replace it and get the data off. It all depends on how valuable the data is.

At this point it is a reminder to always backup your data, although in this case it is a bit too late.

[Kemasa]

It sounds like the disk has serious problems.

The data is most likely on the disk, but it can be expensive to recover it using a data service. Sometimes it is possible to buy an identical disk with the same firmware on the controller board (attached to the disk) and replace it and get the data off. It all depends on how valuable the data is.

At this point it is a reminder to always backup your data, although in this case it is a bit too late.

[Brazened]

Know anyone with a torque screwdriver? The drive may be going bad or the screws are coming loose on the cover. The screws has to be torqued in order for the drive to work. Just one loose screw can cause seek errors.

Edited by Brazened, 13 December 2013 - 09:31 PM.

[phillpower2]

Hello little87

Example failing HDD sounds

In addition to what has previously been advised can you do the following for us;

Go to Start then to Run
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On the left side click on Disk Management
On the right side you will see your hard drive.
Next take an expanded screenshot and attach it to your next reply.

To capture and post a screenshot;
Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... then after typing in any response you have... click on browse...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on the upload button...then on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.

Once we have the requested screenshot we will better informed as to your potential data recovery options.

NB: Please do not run any HDD diagnostic tools on the drive until after you have attempted/achieved the data recovery, this because the diagnostic tools stress test the HDD and a flaky drive will often fail completely.